2011 Energy Efficiency Plan : Where has the action gone ?

On 8 March 2011, the European Commission published its new Energy Efficiency Action Plan. The very first line points to energy efficiency as the top priority of the 2011-2020 energy strategy : “Energy efficiency is at the heart of the EU’s Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and of the transition to a resource-efficient economy”. Energy Cities welcomes this new opening.

Energy Cities is pleased to see that the Covenant of Mayors is featured in the Energy Efficiency Action : “The Covenant is a formal commitment to reduce signatories’ CO2 emissions by more than 20% by 2020 through sustainable energy measures on their territories”. The network also appreciates the fact that other initiatives (Smart Cities & Smart Communities) are being developed on the basis of the Covenant.

However, Energy Cities regrets that the document can no longer be considered as an action plan. Indeed, the word « action » has been removed from the title. This exacerbates the lack of ambitions and concrete objectives of this plan. Along the same lines, the overall plan doesn’t constitute a response that matches the scale of the challenges, despite a series of encouraging measures.

Let us not forget that municipalities are in dire need of a single financing instrument integrating the technological, managerial, financial, human and territorial dimensions of energy and the climate. If they want to be successful, they will have to integrate all these dimensions in each of their sectoral policies themselves using a common approach.

Energy Cities also takes note of the lack of commitments on binding energy saving targets. Yet if no such objectives are established, it is unlikely that the 20% energy efficiency target be reached in 2020 ! At a time when energy prices are again on the rise, citizens do not understand why the Commission should wait for 2013 to, possibly, head down that path !

Energy Cities is soon to publish an opinion on the new Energy Efficiency Plan.